Guy de Lusignan

Guy de Lusignan (1150-1194) was a Jerusalemite king who became King of Cyprus by conquering the island in 1192.

Biography
The member of an esteemed French dynasty, de Lusignan was made king of Jerusalem through marriage in 1186. At the time, he was put in a complicated situation: Sultan Salah ad-Din (Saladin) was invading the Crusader States with his massive Egyptian army. His reign was marked by increased hostilities with the Ayyubid Dynasty and The Turks to the east, and he was brought to battle at the Horns of Hattin in July 1187 by Saladin’s army. His forces were encircled and crushed, and de Lusignan was captured. Shortly after, Jerusalem fell to the Egyptians, and he was released a year later. Having been denied entry to Tyre by Conrad of Montferrat, he besieged Acre in 1189 in search for a base. He was aided by the newly-arrived Richard the Lionhearted of England and Philip II Augustus of France, who ensured that his assault captured the city. Despite Richard’s support for Guy, Conrad was elected king of Jerusalem, and it is believed that Guy and Richard arranged for the Hashshashin (Muslim Assassins order) to kill him three days later. Guy was given lordship of Cyprus in 1192 by Richard, who had conquered the island from the Greeks, and he ruled the Kingdom of Cyprus until his death in 1194.